Thomas Brodie-Sangster Imagines

The World is Vast

The clacking of your heels on the ground was the only sound breaking the silence of the night. You dived your hands in the pockets of your jacket to keep you warm and hurried a bit to get home quickly. London. What a beautiful city, even at night. Apart from some groups of friends going out for the night and the sound of cabs, it was completely still. It might seemed a little creepy to be out there on your own when you're a girl and you just arrived in a new city, but not to you. You found that oddly calming and reassuring. As if the world allowed you to have a break and appreciate silence and just think. You moved to London two weeks ago. You couldn't even count how many times a stranger in a bar – sometimes even more than one in a night – asked you why you moved here. The truth is, there is no reason. You were just sick of where you used to live, you needed change. And something – though you haven't found it yet – was drawing you here.

Finally, the slightly washed-out facade of your building appeared further down the street. Once again, you quickened your pace when you felt a drop of rain hit your forehead. It was a really humid night and you'd bet that your makeup was right about to leak everywhere on your face, making you look like you haven't gone home for three days and your hair, messily put into a sort of deconstructed bun, was probably full of small rain drops. Yes, better hurry before the fashion police finds you. You let out a sigh of relief when you reached your apartment and began to climb the stairs. Eventually, you reached the third floor and opened your door. The unwelcoming darkness and the cold atmosphere in your small flat immediately made you wonder why you wanted to go back to this place in the first place, but then your eyes were caught by your reflection in the mirror. Nice. After turning on the heater, you got rid of your wet clothes and jumped into the shower, in great need of warming up, but you were greeted by ice-cold water. Someone used all the warm water.

"Fucking hell, it's the second time this week!" You cursed as you hurriedly took you shower. When you were done you almost jumped in fresh clothes and rubbed your arms forcefully. You were still cold, though your blood was boiling in your veins. Suddenly, you jumped in surprise as you heard a loud thud coming from the apartment above, as if someone broke a glass of something. Out of your mind, you grabbed your shoes and your bag before going out, leaning over the balcony. Just when you were about grab a cigarette in your bag, you saw something fall from the balcony above you. Frowning, you leaned over the railing to take a look and you saw someone. A guy, most likely about your age, maybe a bit older. He was shirtless and every one of his breath drew small clouds of steam in the air, but when you looked at his face he seemed pissed, just like you. You stayed still for a couple of seconds, evaluating the situation before shrugging. You had nothing to lose.

Grabbing your stuff, you climbed the stairs leading to the fourth floor and walked towards the mysterious guy. It was only when you were a few steps away from him that you realized you had no idea what to say, but it turned out you didn't need to.

"What are you doing here?" The boy asked, not even looking at her. His eyes looked straight in front of him, at nothing in particular. He then reached for the back pocket of his jeans and took out a cigarette. It reminded you of why you came out in the first place. You mimicked his gesture and grabbed a cigarette too, offering him your lighter when he was struggling to lit his own. Deciding that you wouldn't be shy tonight, you chose attack as the best defense.

"I could ask you the same question, aren't you freezing?" You questioned, sucking at your cigarette and inhaling the smoke. He seemed surprised by your change of behavior, since you looked slightly shy when you approached him. Eventually he looked at you and offered you a crooked smile. That's when you saw that he was hurt. He had a cut near his left collarbone and his sides were covered in bruises.

"Nah, actually my blood is boiling," he stated, a bit more friendly.

"Went into a fight?" You cocked your brow, making a little head move towards his abdomen.